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About this project

Viva la Muerte has a story to tell, and it's a love story, which is to say: it's a ghost story.

It begins in a desert town called Obscuro, a tractor trailer driving down a windswept street at dusk, a woman in white hanging clothes on a line...

There's a bootlegger's son and the daughter of the law, a night that changes their life...

And there's a choice that echoes throughout: "She said it only comes once/She said Lord I should've tried/She said my dear, there's the world of the heart/Or you can leave that world behind..."

Join us in bringing this story to life. "All the Birds" is all about bringing back the dead, and we don't mean zombies, but more so ghosts, the folks who have passed through our lives and touched us and won't, for whatever reason, leave us alone. This is the essence of Viva la Muerte: a resurrection of the dead so we might hear and feel their story as our own, and by truly feeling it in our hearts and bones, maybe we might just be inspired to dance and feel a little less alone.

Viva la Muerte has finally found the ambitious material and equally ambitious musicians to compose its first album, "All the Birds." We've been harvesting these songs for a long time--since 2005. We've got Will McCandless on lead guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, Dylan Ritter on pedal steel, Xavier Graves on piano, Ben Irwin on drums and percussion, Jared Zehmer on bass, and Matt Armstrong on vocals and guitar. We've solicited cover art from Raz Salvarita, a tremendously talented artist from the Philippines. Our sound engineer is Derrick Acker from Underground Sound, a top notch studio in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our co-producer is YOU.

Please help us so we can not only create this album, but also promote it to the world and tour. This music means a lot to us, and we think these songs will mean a lot to you if you listen. For a sample of our sound, check us out:

Risks and challenges

We're artists. We're broke. We make our livings as writers, potters, glass blowers, game designers, and as musicians. Living--eating--is a big challenge. But beyond that, the biggest risk here, for this album, is obscurity. Many great albums have slipped through the cracks. We believe "All the Birds" will be a great album, but promoting it and getting the word out to the world beyond our network of fans and friends is the serious challenge we face. Fortunately, we're a band with a strong balance of youth and experience--energy and ambition on the one hand, and a seasoned network of supporters on the other.

FAQ

What we mean by production and promotion is that we'll be spending the money not only on the creation of the album inside the studio of Underground Sound, but also the editing, the mixing, the mastering, and the production of the cd (through Oasis Records). Furthermore, there's the cost of the original artwork by Raz Salvarita. However, this--the production--isn't the most expensive part of the process. The important thing, for us, is building a working band through this album, and that will require touring and promotion. We'd like to use this money, therefore, to send copies of our album to radio stations and labels all over the country. We'd like to buy advertisement space. And we'd like to fund a small tour of the east coast so we can promote the album not just online to our friends, but to an increasing audience of listeners.

Rewards

Pledge $10 or more

Donate $10-25 and receive our first cd, "All the Birds," and a ticket to our album release party in Greensboro.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $26 or more

25 backers

Donate $26-75 and receive our first cd, "All the Birds," a ticket to our album release party, and a VLM t-shirt.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $76 or more

13 backers

Donate $76-150 and receive our first cd, "All the Birds," and a piece of Jared Zehmer's (our bass player) pottery.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $151 or more

1 backer

Donate $151-499 and receive our first cd, "All the Birds," a VLM t-shirt, a piece of Jared's pottery, and a free lesson at the potter's wheel in Seagrove, N.C.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Only ships to: United States

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

2 backers

Donate $500 or more and we'll play a private concert for you and your friends at your house or selected venue. If you live more than six hours from Greensboro, you'll receive our "primo package": 1. Our cd, "All the Birds." 2. A VLM t-shirt, 3. A ticket to the album release party, 4. A piece of Zehmer pottery, 5. TWO free lessons at the potter's wheel from Jared Zehmer in Seagrove, N.C.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2013

Only ships to: United States

Funding period

Nov 13, 2012 - Dec 28, 2012
(45 days)

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